Nasty surprise: Stevia in the Raw

Ela

Posted 22 September 2011 - 12:13 PM

Ela

Senior Member

Seniors

2,408 posts

After doing well for months and getting my BGs better and better I got a nasty surprise today. Around 1 1/2 hrs after breakfast I had a reading of 162! I retested and got 167 and 163 and this is after I started the day with FBG of 96! What went wrong? First I just couldn’t understand it as I eat basically the same thing every day. But then I remembered what was different today.

You see, I always liked strong coffee with lots of sugar to balance the bitterness, but since my diagnoses I proceeded with the caution and was drinking it either without any sweeteners or with Truvia (1-2 packets) and was OK BG wise but meh and blah taste wise. So I am still on a lookout for other sweeteners as Truvia is on expensive side and I was hoping to find something maybe cheaper and closer to sugar by taste. And I bought this “Stevia in the Raw” in the GNC store and so far used one packet at the time (I didn’t care for the taste much, but it wasn’t too bad either) and it seemed to be OK with my BG and while I probably wouldn’t buy it anymore, but it’s here already, so cheapskate me got to use it!

Today I decided to up my sweets in my coffee – I figured why not? If there is nothing to spike me, why not make my coffee more enjoyable? So I put in 2 Truvias and 2 "Stevias in the Raw" and my coffee tasted very nice………...... you know the rest. :thumpdown

So I’m reading the label and it says; Ingredients: Dextrose, Stevia Extract. Total Carbohydrate less than 1 gr (hmmm….)EACH SERVING CONTAINS LESS THAN 4 CALORIES WHICH THE FDA CONSIDERS DIETETICALLY ZERO. (Capital letters are original). and “Suitable for people with diabetes”. Really?

My guess would be that “less than 4 calories” (of sugar I might add) is probably 3.5 and it is ALL CARBS. So I actually had about 7 from this thing (and maybe more, who knows how closely they follow their claims) + my bread of 16-18 carbs = 23-25 and it is probably too much for me in the morning. I always have the highest reading after breakfast, but not above 140 and most days it is around 110-125. And I didn’t have 160 reading for at least 2 months no matter what time of day!

Dextrose is a fast acting carbohydrate, which means that as soon as you ingest it, it will become active. As a result your blood sugar levels are affected and your insulin levels are spiked. As dextrose is a fast release carbohydrate your body assimilates it immediately which means there is a very high dosage of glycogen available at once. In fact, Dextrose scores 100 on the glycemic index which is very high!

So what does this mean to you and your physique? On the plus side, the effect dextrose has on your blood sugar levels can be great first thing in the morning and immediately after training, in fact, its essential. This is because during these periods of the day your muscle glycogen levels are depleted and there is a lack of glucose in your blood. In short this means there is a lack of usable energy, which is when the effects of catabolism begin to become active as they begin to breakdown muscle tissue as a form of energy opposed to your body fat……

(there is more)

Well well well, FAST ACTING CARBOHYDRATE! That’s just what I need… first thing in the morning as the article suggests! I realize they’re talking about healthy people. Maybe it is beneficial for someone. But I am also confused (I’m really bad with understanding all these “breakdowns” and “catabolism” thingies) and maybe somebody can explain it to me in simpler terms. Does it mean that I’m breaking my muscles if my sugar is not high in the morning? I hope not.

In any case, it’s just another reminder to read the labels even more carefully and not to trust claims of suitability for diabetics just because they say so!

"In some ways, being a well-controlled diabetic is an ongoing science experiment" Scratch

Ela

Posted 22 September 2011 - 12:41 PM

Dextrose, found at many health food store as a white powder, is often used by bodybuilders in protein shakes. Dextrose is also available at drugstores as glucose tablets sold for the treatment of hypoglycemia. Dextrose is actually the same as pure glucose, a type of sugar called a monosaccharide because it is composed of only one molecule. Sucrose, or table sugar, is a disaccharide as it is made of two sugar molecules bound together: glucose and fructose. Glucose and galactose bond together to form another disaccharide called lactose.

Glycemic IndexDextrose, like pure glucose, has a very high glycemic index. The glycemic index is used to determine the speed at which a sugar or carbohydrate raise your blood sugar levels. The glycemic index scale ranges between zero and 100. Dextrose has a glycemic index value averaging 100, which means that it is quickly absorbed into your bloodstream and results in a sharp increase in your blood sugar levels.

Hypoglycemia TreatmentBecause of its high glycemic index and fast-acting properties, dextrose is ideal for the treatment of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar levels, is defined by having blood sugar levels below 70 mg/dL and is often accompanied by symptoms of weakness, shakiness, dizziness, irritability, confusion and sweating. If you have diabetes and experiment a drop in your blood sugar levels, you should treat your hypoglycemia with 15 g of carbohydrates, which corresponds to either 1 tbsp. of dextrose powder that you can dissolve in a little bit of water or the equivalent of three to five dextrose tablets, depending on the brand, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.

Not As A SweetenerDextrose is a quick and effective sugar to treat hypoglycemia and rapidly bring your blood sugar levels back up in the normal range. However, if you use dextrose as a sweetener, you may observe a sharp rise in your blood sugar levels, which is likely to result in a blood sugar crash in the following hours. To optimize your diabetes control, it is best to decrease your sugar consumption, including dextrose. If you decide to use them, keep your total carbohydrate intake, including sugars, within 45 to 60 g per meal, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Well it seems that even American Diabetes Association suggest to only use dextrose as a treatment of hypoglycemia. But 45-60 of sugars per meal????

Following this logic 167 is recommended number too.

"In some ways, being a well-controlled diabetic is an ongoing science experiment" Scratch

Ela

Posted 22 September 2011 - 03:12 PM

Sorry for the bad experience with stevia, I hate the stuff myself, tastes really chemical to me. I can use it in certain items like cin flaxseed cracker.

I use nutrasweet and sachrin mixed 50/50 in my coffee, when mixed together they taste as close to sugar as anything I have tasted.

Oh, please don't get me wrong. It WASN'T STEVIA! I use Truvia and liquid Stevia without a problem! I used Truvia (Stevia with erythritol) for your chocolate candy instead of Splenda and ate probably 4 at the time - if anything, my BGs were lower than usual. And I use Truvia in most anything I need a sweetener and so far so good. The same thing with liquid Stevia - some of them taste nasty, but that's another story - but my BGs are fine. So it's not Truvia or Stevia. It's darn "Stevia in the Raw" and dextrose! It is not really Stevia (and forget about "raw"), but the name is deceiving! I don't want to provide the link for the actual product, I don't want this product to have hits on line!

"In some ways, being a well-controlled diabetic is an ongoing science experiment" Scratch

poodlebone

Posted 22 September 2011 - 03:52 PM

poodlebone

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4,960 posts

So I’m reading the label and it says; Ingredients: Dextrose, Stevia Extract. Total Carbohydrate less than 1 gr (hmmm….)EACH SERVING CONTAINS LESS THAN 4 CALORIES WHICH THE FDA CONSIDERS DIETETICALLY ZERO. (Capital letters are original).

My guess would be that “less than 4 calories” (of sugar I might add) is probably 3.5 and it is ALL CARBS. So I actually had about 7 from this thing (and maybe more, who knows how closely they follow their claims) + my bread of 16-18 carbs = 23-25 and it is probably too much for me in the morning. I always have the highest reading after breakfast, but not above 140 and most days it is around 110-125. And I didn’t have 160 reading for at least 2 months no matter what time of day!

The generic Equal that I use (Natrataste) has similar stats to the stevia you bought. They need something to act as filler because the artificial sweetener is such a teeny amount. You're right, if it's under a certain amount they can claim zero. Still, I doubt that the two extra grams (slightly less than 2) of sugar from the two packets is what boosted your BG so high. I'd say the bread is the more likely culprit. I wouldn't give up on the stevia until you've tried it several more times.

I think Truvia uses a sugar alcohol as the bulking agent. I don't care for that stuff but my sister loves it. I read the ingredients once but don't remember what else was in it.

Ela

Posted 22 September 2011 - 04:11 PM

Ela

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2,408 posts

The generic Equal that I use (Natrataste) has similar stats to the stevia you bought. They need something to act as filler because the artificial sweetener is such a teeny amount. You're right, if it's under a certain amount they can claim zero. Still, I doubt that the two extra grams (slightly less than 2) of sugar from the two packets is what boosted your BG so high. I'd say the bread is the more likely culprit. I wouldn't give up on the stevia until you've tried it several more times.

I think Truvia uses a sugar alcohol as the bulking agent. I don't care for that stuff but my sister loves it. I read the ingredients once but don't remember what else was in it.

Bread adds up to it of course and MAYBE without bread I wouldn't have the spike, but I ate that same bread yesterday and the day before, and the day before so on an on - so I don't think it's bread.

And as I said I'm not giving up on Stevia but on this specific product "Stevia in the Raw" as it has apparently more dextrose than Stevia!

Truvia has erythirol and seems fine to me.

Also it seems that just a few grams, what the big difference? Well 20 points is not a big difference either, but I'd rather have 140 than 160! And it seems that when it comes to diabetes every gram and every carb counts. And dextrose seems especially "spikey" one to me.

"In some ways, being a well-controlled diabetic is an ongoing science experiment" Scratch

puzlnut

Posted 22 September 2011 - 04:24 PM

puzlnut

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Oh, yuck, I hate these "lovely" curveballs we get thrown without any warning!! Sorry about that 162, Ela. Talk about an unpleasant shock!!

I tried Truvia after I had read on here that you liked it, Ela. I don't think it is bad, I don't think it is great. It is pricey and it MIGHT not be friendly to my blood sugar, but I am not certain on that yet. I have to do another test of it before I can say for certain.

I have a liquid Stevia and YUCK. I can't stand it. I also bought a box of the Stevia packets and they are sitting on my kitchen desk awaiting a new home b/c they also taste nasty to me. Ela----I find it interesting that you mention that there are different liquid Stevias and some are nasty----does anyone know of a good tasting liquid Stevia? I am like MCS in that to me the taste of the Stevia (both the liquid form and the packets) taste chemical----but I am willing to give it another shot if I can find someone to recommend a liquid version that they like.

I have found that I am extremely sensitive to carbs in the morning. As the day goes on my carb tolerance seems to increase. So far for artificial sweeteners I have found that liquid saccharin and tablet saccharin are the best tasting to me. If I am baking then I do use the granular Splenda but I really want to get away from the granular b/c of the dextrose thing. I have used EzSweetz drops and they worked well in the 1 recipe I used them in.

jwags

Posted 22 September 2011 - 07:56 PM

jwags

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8,259 posts

I made the same mistake with Stevia in the Raw. It wasn't until I got home and put on my reading glasses that I saw the first ingredient was Dextrose. I did order some pure organic stevia from Nettrition but it looks like dried herbs or something else. The only sweetner I don't spike with is Erythitol.

Daytona

Posted 22 September 2011 - 08:31 PM

Daytona

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Seniors

509 posts

I looked at Stevia in the Raw at the grocery story just this weekend and flipped when I saw that the first ingredient was dextrose. I don't understand why they think it's okay to add what is essentially sugar to an artificial sweetener? I'm sticking to my pure stevia extract. I use a ridiculously small amount (just a few mg) and as long as I don't over-sweeten I don't mind the flavor.

janice21475

Posted 22 September 2011 - 11:21 PM

janice21475

Just me

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4,684 posts

Bummer on the spiking. After my husband was diagnosed we did the sweetener trials. He accepted Splenda, I hated them all. I find now that I prefer my coffee with 1 teaspoons of heavy whipping cream more than I did when I was drinking more syrup than coffee.

jillybean

Posted 23 September 2011 - 11:14 AM

EACH SERVING CONTAINS LESS THAN 4 CALORIES WHICH THE FDA CONSIDERS DIETETICALLY ZERO. (Capital letters are original). and “Suitable for people with diabetes”. Really?

My guess would be that “less than 4 calories” (of sugar I might add) is probably 3.5 and it is ALL CARBS. So I actually had about 7 from this thing (and maybe more, who knows how closely they follow their claims) + my bread of 16-18 carbs = 23-25 and it is probably too much for me in the morning. I always have the highest reading after breakfast, but not above 140 and most days it is around 110-125. And I didn’t have 160 reading for at least 2 months no matter what time of day!

Wait, now you're counting calories as grams of carbs? 4 calories from carbs is only 1 gram of carbohydrate, so you only added 2g carbs, not 7. I'm not disputing your results - if it doesn't work for you for ANY reason, then ditch it, but I wouldn't think 2g of carbs are to blame, fast-acting or not.

Lots of products suggest being good for diabetics. My favorite example is Glucerna products - FULL of carbs. Jerks.

Ela

Posted 24 September 2011 - 12:52 AM

Ela

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Seniors

2,408 posts

Oh, yuck, I hate these "lovely" curveballs we get thrown without any warning!! Sorry about that 162, Ela. Talk about an unpleasant shock!!

I tried Truvia after I had read on here that you liked it, Ela. I don't think it is bad, I don't think it is great. It is pricey and it MIGHT not be friendly to my blood sugar, but I am not certain on that yet. I have to do another test of it before I can say for certain.

I have a liquid Stevia and YUCK. I can't stand it. I also bought a box of the Stevia packets and they are sitting on my kitchen desk awaiting a new home b/c they also taste nasty to me. Ela----I find it interesting that you mention that there are different liquid Stevias and some are nasty----does anyone know of a good tasting liquid Stevia? I am like MCS in that to me the taste of the Stevia (both the liquid form and the packets) taste chemical----but I am willing to give it another shot if I can find someone to recommend a liquid version that they like.

I have found that I am extremely sensitive to carbs in the morning. As the day goes on my carb tolerance seems to increase. So far for artificial sweeteners I have found that liquid saccharin and tablet saccharin are the best tasting to me. If I am baking then I do use the granular Splenda but I really want to get away from the granular b/c of the dextrose thing. I have used EzSweetz drops and they worked well in the 1 recipe I used them in.

I don't ever liked any artificial sweeteners and years ago gave up on sodas completely as wanted to lose weight, but didn't want anything artificial, sigh...I still don't like any of them, but after some research I figured that Stevia is at least the healthiest. So I tried Truvia and a 2 liquid ones from Amazon. I think they only have 2 brands with "clear" taste + some chocolate, orange, lemon and something else and I almost got one of those, but decided to try the regulars first - and no, I'm not ordering them any more Stevia.

So so far for me Truvia was the best - that mild chocolate by MCS recipe comes out great and I also just whip up some cream with Truvia and cocoa powder - it's absolutely delicious and my husband just loves it too and I really wouldn't tell if there is real sugar or Truvia. It tastes different in my coffee, but it's not too bad.

The other one that I liked so far was liquid Clear Stevia Nu Naturals Buy NuNaturals - Clear Stevia Pure Liquid Plastic Bottle - 2 oz. at LuckyVitamin.com. I bought one in GNC store for about $8. It is small, BUT you only need 2-3 drops and even for a lover of sweet coffee like me -5 drops is the max! So you might try this one. It doesn't have much "taste", it's just sweet, at least it is to me. I think I'm going to buy some more. And I actually like that the thing is so small - I can take it with me to travel on the plane or wherever.

I don't like Stevia from the Trader Joe's - it didn't spike me, but just didn't taste good.

Other than that there is nothing else in the stores around here. There are NO other liquid sweeteners, so if I want to use liquid saccharin I got to order it on line . The question is: Is it good for you? There are different opinions, but...I feel a bit uneasy as some research connects it with the cancer. I might order it anyway and use it once in a while, but so far Truvia and that NU Stevia worked for me. Expensive, yes, but sometimes there are coupons and also in my mind it's not too expensive if it's healthier , what is more precious than your health? Besides except that one cup of coffee in the morning I only drink water or seltzer and those chocolates and creams I only make once in a while - so I don't use that much.

Oh and Puzzle, I was thinking of you when I read that dextrose thing, I remember you were saying that maltodextrin might spike you and all those fillers are spikey! Good info and thanks! I just don't know how I missed it on the lebel! Well I'm learning on my mistakes.

Oh and today I had 2 Truvias and 3 drops of Nu Stevia in my coffee and had 132 BG about 1 1/2 hr after breakfast. Not excellent, but OK. I can live with it (I hope!) and btw it's the same result I have using 1 or 2 Truvias...some days and it's actually the average, as usually it's from 110 to 140.

"In some ways, being a well-controlled diabetic is an ongoing science experiment" Scratch

Ela

Posted 24 September 2011 - 01:04 AM

Ela

Senior Member

Seniors

2,408 posts

Wait, now you're counting calories as grams of carbs? 4 calories from carbs is only 1 gram of carbohydrate, so you only added 2g carbs, not 7. I'm not disputing your results - if it doesn't work for you for ANY reason, then ditch it, but I wouldn't think 2g of carbs are to blame, fast-acting or not.

Lots of products suggest being good for diabetics. My favorite example is Glucerna products - FULL of carbs. Jerks.

Yeah, I know Jilli - I'm not good with my carbs math. I think that it doesn't even work mathematically. You would think that if 1 g gives you a raise of 10 points, 2 g should give you 20? Well, sometimes, but it often triples or quadruples for some strange reason.

As I noticed before - certain soup is fine with me when I only eat 1 bowl - I have a raise of 20 points. But when I eat another 1/2 bowl, you would expect it only go up 30 points? That's what I thought. Unfortunately - it goes up 50 points or even more!

"In some ways, being a well-controlled diabetic is an ongoing science experiment" Scratch

puzlnut

Posted 24 September 2011 - 09:18 AM

puzlnut

Senior Member

Seniors

706 posts

I don't ever liked any artificial sweeteners and years ago gave up on sodas completely as wanted to lose weight, but didn't want anything artificial, sigh...I still don't like any of them, but after some research I figured that Stevia is at least the healthiest. So I tried Truvia and a 2 liquid ones from Amazon. I think they only have 2 brands with "clear" taste + some chocolate, orange, lemon and something else and I almost got one of those, but decided to try the regulars first - and no, I'm not ordering them any more Stevia.

So so far for me Truvia was the best - that mild chocolate by MCS recipe comes out great and I also just whip up some cream with Truvia and cocoa powder - it's absolutely delicious and my husband just loves it too and I really wouldn't tell if there is real sugar or Truvia. It tastes different in my coffee, but it's not too bad.

The other one that I liked so far was liquid Clear Stevia Nu Naturals Buy NuNaturals - Clear Stevia Pure Liquid Plastic Bottle - 2 oz. at LuckyVitamin.com. I bought one in GNC store for about $8. It is small, BUT you only need 2-3 drops and even for a lover of sweet coffee like me -5 drops is the max! So you might try this one. It doesn't have much "taste", it's just sweet, at least it is to me. I think I'm going to buy some more. And I actually like that the thing is so small - I can take it with me to travel on the plane or wherever.

I don't like Stevia from the Trader Joe's - it didn't spike me, but just didn't taste good.

Other than that there is nothing else in the stores around here. There are NO other liquid sweeteners, so if I want to use liquid saccharin I got to order it on line . The question is: Is it good for you? There are different opinions, but...I feel a bit uneasy as some research connects it with the cancer. I might order it anyway and use it once in a while, but so far Truvia and that NU Stevia worked for me. Expensive, yes, but sometimes there are coupons and also in my mind it's not too expensive if it's healthier , what is more precious than your health? Besides except that one cup of coffee in the morning I only drink water or seltzer and those chocolates and creams I only make once in a while - so I don't use that much.

Oh and Puzzle, I was thinking of you when I read that dextrose thing, I remember you were saying that maltodextrin might spike you and all those fillers are spikey! Good info and thanks! I just don't know how I missed it on the lebel! Well I'm learning on my mistakes.

Oh and today I had 2 Truvias and 3 drops of Nu Stevia in my coffee and had 132 BG about 1 1/2 hr after breakfast. Not excellent, but OK. I can live with it (I hope!) and btw it's the same result I have using 1 or 2 Truvias...some days and it's actually the average, as usually it's from 110 to 140.

Hi Ela! :wavey:

Thanks for the recommendation on the Stevia. I will try it and see how it goes because I would like to get away from the liquid saccharin if possible, but so far that is the only liquid art. sweetener that tastes good to me in my iced tea (I don't drink coffee).

I made MCS's chocolate recipe and yum! but mine came out all grainy. Do you mind either pm'ing me exactly what you used and how you made it or posting it here? And how do you make that delicious sounding cream / Truvia / cocoa concoction? I have been doing really great with not craving nor eating chocolate, but every once in a while it hits with a vengeance!! Thanks, hon!!